


Blue Feathers From Blue Chickens

by Digipokewhoofian10



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Depression, F/M, References to Harvest Moon, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-11 13:59:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13525749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digipokewhoofian10/pseuds/Digipokewhoofian10
Summary: Lilly just moved to her Grandfather's old farm, Chickadee Farm. And she soon falls in love with the surly alcoholic, Shane.





	1. Pizza and Chickens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly is getting all settled into her new home and finally can get chickens, but they aren't for the reason most would expect. She learns how to make pizza too and purchases the ingredients to begin making it. What all could it be for? Or perhaps... who?

Lilly had been living on Chickadee Farm for several weeks now and had finally been able to get both a silo and a chicken coop. In all honesty, she didn't care too much about getting chickens, what she cared about is having an excuse to go to Marnie's Ranch, where Shane lived. Ever since she had first met him she had been interested in him and why he was so grumpy. She smiled at her new coop and hurried to the ranch.

"Hello, Marnie! Guess what! I just got my coop finished!" Lilly exclaimed with excitement as she entered the ranch.

"Oh, Lilly! That's great news!" The older brunette woman exclaimed with a kind smile.

"Mhm! Now I can raise chickens! I'd like to buy one from you." Lilly said, her plan to get chickens one by one to better her excuse for being at the ranch.

"Of course." Marnie said with a smile, going to retrieve a chick. Lilly's eyes darted towards the house's kitchen, hoping to perhaps catch a glimpse of the grouchy man who had captured her interest. Her light pink eyes scanned the area, quickly spotting him. She bit the inside of her lip, wondering if she should approach. As she pondered this Marnie returned with a small brown chick. She followed Lilly's gaze, soon spotting her nephew. A soft smile spread across her face, perhaps Lilly could be just what he needed. The little chick chirped and caught Lilly's attention. The younger woman jumped, her cheeks flushing a light pink, matching her hair.

"O-oh! Y-you were quick!" Lilly exclaimed a bit flustered as she looks at Marnie. She carefully took the small chick. "Hello, there little one... I'm Lilly. You'll be living with me from now on." Lilly spoke in a soft voice as she held the chick, softly stroking it. A soft grunt came from the kitchen, Lilly glanced over to see Shane observing her and the chick. She kept her eyes on him for a moment before he disappeared.

"You know... I don't think I've met many people who don't like pizza. Perhaps this summer you can grow wheat and tomatoes for pizza. You'd also need cheese as well of course. But when you get a barn I'd be more than glad to sell you a cow." Marnie said with a knowing smile.

"Oh yes. Of course. Thank you, Marnie." Lilly said with a smile and a nod. "I'll see you later."

"Have a nice day Lilly." Marnie said smiling as Lilly turned away, carefully holding the chick. Lilly softly smiled as she took the chick to her coop, gently setting it down.

"Welcome to your new home Mora." She said, placing a soft kiss on the chick's small head before standing up and setting some food down in the bin. The small chick chirped happily, approaching the food and eating it up. Lilly smiled and left the coop, heading into the town's general store.

"Welcome!" Said the cheerful voice of the shop's owner, Pierre.

"Hello Pierre." Lilly said with a smile, quickly turning to look for certain ingredients. A soft smile found its way on her face as she made her purchase and returned home. It wasn't long before the smell of freshly baked pizza filled the house. "I hope he likes it..." Lilly said as she placed the pizza in a box. _It was nearly 6 PM, Shane would be at the saloon._ She thought, leaving her home to find the grouchy man.

"Hello Lilly." Greeted the saloon's owner, Gus.

"Hello Gus." The young farmer replied with a small smile, her attention quickly turning to the man sitting by himself. She approached him and held out the box to him, her heart beginning to race. "I hope you like this." She said, looking at Shane. He took the box and opened it, a smile spreading across his face.

"Oh wow, Lilly! How'd you know this is my favorite?" Shane said with a rare smile.

"Just a lucky guess, it's hard to find someone who doesn't like pizza." She said, her cheeks gaining a light pink blush. "But I'm really glad you like it."


	2. Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane's heart events with a little bit more to them.

It was now summer, Lilly's farm had grown even more. A barn sitting next to the coop. Four chickens and two cows living on the farm. She had tomatoes, wheat, and blueberries growing. The farm was doing amazing and Lilly was incredibly happy.  It was a cool summer night and Lilly decided to go take a walk before going to sleep. She walked towards the pond by the other ranch. At the end of the dock stood Shane.

"Hello Shane." Lilly said with a soft voice as she approached.

"Up late, huh?" Shane said before lifting the beer in his hand to his lips.

"I usually stay up a bit later in the summer. Summer nights are nice." She said looking out at the pond. Shane reached to his side grabbing another beer.

"Here, have a cold one." He said as he handed her the beer. Lilly took it with a small nod and a quiet thanks. "Buh... Life. You ever feel like... no matter what you do, you're gonna fail? Like you're stuck in some miserable abyss and you're so deep you can't even see the light of day?" He asked, not looking over at the young farmer next to him.

"Yeah... I do actually." Lilly said quietly as she stared at the beverage in her hands.

"I just feel like no matter how hard I try... I'm not strong enough to climb out of that hole." He said, bringing the beer to his lips again. Lilly nodded as she quickly drank the beer, her face scrunching up a bit at the bitter taste. "Heh... fast drinker, huh? Woman after my own heart. Just don't make it a habit... you got a future ahead of you still. Welp... My liver's beggin' me to stop. Better call it a night. See you around, Lilly." Shane said after finishing off his beer.

"Have a good night Shane." Lilly said, watching the older man leave the dock, heading towards the ranch. A soft sigh escaped the young woman's lips, once he was out of her sight she began to walk home. The next day the young woman found a letter from Shane in her mail.

"I found this recipe in a magazine and I thought it sounded interesting. Feel free to give me a taste if you make it. hehe. - Shane" The letter read, a recipe for Pepper Poppers was on another smaller sheet of paper. A small smile made its way onto her face and she took the letter and recipe inside. Once in her kitchen she carefully placed the new recipe in a small box.

Two weeks later Lilly was visiting Marnie's ranch for some supplies, and she saw the older woman over by Shane's bedroom.

"Shane?" Marnie said to the door, waiting a moment before opening the door. Lilly followed her into the usually grouchy Shane's room. "Oh dear..." Marnie turned to face Lilly after seeing Shane. "Lilly... Can you do something? He's out cold." Lilly nodded and pulled out her watering can, approaching the man and sprinkling his face with a little water. With a groan Shane woke up.

"Waah!" Shane jumped up surprised by the cold water splashed on his face.

"Shane! What's the matter with you? All you do anymore is mope around your room and drink beer!" Marnie exclaimed, sadness clear in her voice.

"You wouldn't understand..." Shane responded, his voice quiet and despondent.

"I'm worried... What's your plan? Don't you ever think about the future?" Marnie asked. The sound of footsteps caught Lilly's attention, seeing the young eight year old Jas.

"Plan? Hopefully I won't be around long enough to need a 'plan'..." He said with a scoff. Lilly's eyes widened and she glanced back at Jas who had begun crying and ran off. Marnie turned to follow. "Jas..." Shane said, his voice near a whisper as he turned, seeing the damage he had done. "I'm sorry..." He muttered, his head tilting downwards towards the ground. He fell to his knees, his hands jumping to his head as he began to shake. Lilly wished with all her heart that she could do something to help, but it really didn't seem possible right now. When the young woman left, it had begun raining.

Lilly had been living on her farm for three months now, her home was big enough for two, she had a deluxe barn, filled with chickens, and a deluxe barn, filled with cows. In front of her house was a number of crops, corn, eggplant, cranberries, and grapes. Today it was raining, so the young farmer had plenty of time to spend. She went to her kitchen, grabbing the pumpkin pie, plum pudding, and pizza she had made, taking it all to the ranch she visited so often. But she would have to wait for the store to open, so she began to walk towards the cliffs, hurriedly running over after spotting Shane unconscious on the ground.

"Shane!" She exclaimed, panic taking over as she ran towards him, quickly sitting next to him.

"Lilly..." The clearly very drunk man said.

"Oh thank Yoba you're not dead!" Lilly exclaimed her eyes darting about, seeing twenty one beer cans surrounding him.

"I... I'm sorry... M... My life... It's a pathetic joke... Look at me... Why do I even try...? I'm too small and stupid to... take control of my life... I'm just a p... piece of soiled garbage flittering in the wind..." He said, hiccuping and sobbing.

"That's not true Shane." Lilly said softly, trying to help calm the man in front of her. 

"I've been coming here often lately... looking down... Here's a chance to finally take control of my life... These cliffs... B... bu... but I'm too scared, too anxious. Just like always... Lilly... All I do is work, sleep, and drink... t... to dull the feelings of self-hatred. Why should I even go on? Tell me... T... Tell me why I shouldn't roll off this cliff right now..." He said, causing Lilly's eyes to widen.

"W... well... In the end it's up to you I guess... but... I'm here for you if you ever need someone to just talk to... and if... if you did I'd be quite upset... Marnie and Jas would be too... We all care a whole lot about you." Lilly said softly, her voice tinged with sadness.

"Thanks... I appreciate that... I really do. Ugh... Jas... you're right... Lilly... I think you should take me to the hospital now." He replied.

"Of course." Lilly said nodding as she helped him up, taking him to the hospital. She sat and waited nervously in the waiting room. After what felt like hours, Harvey entered the waiting room. Lilly's attention was immediately grabbed by the doctor, hoping that he would have good news.

"I've pumped his stomach and re-hydrated his body. He's going to be okay. It's good that you brought him in, though." He said with a light sigh. "Too much alcohol is bad for the body... but right now I'm most worried about his mental health. When he comes to I'll have a chat with him about his treatment options. I know this excellent counseler in Zuzu City." Lilly nodded before Harvey resumed speaking. "Life can be painful, sometimes... But there's always hope for a better future you've got to believe in that." He said softly.

"Yes... of course. I know exactly what you mean." Lilly said with a soft voice. "I'll be leaving, but if anything happens, please feel free to notify me." She added, standing up. The following day when Lilly left her house she found Shane standing in front of her house.

"Hey... Oh man... Uh... How do I say this? I'm really sorry about what happened at the cliffs. That was... embarrassing..." He said, his eyes avoiding her's.

"I'm just glad you're still here." Lilly said, her voice soft with a sad infliction.

"Wow, it was that serious, huh? I can hardly remember..." He said, pausing and turning away. "I've decided I want to see a therapist. Harvey got me in touch with a colleague of his..." He said, the volume of his voice lowering a bit.

"That's great." Lilly said with a small smile.

"Anyway... I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me. And I want you to know I'm going to take things a little more seriously from now on. I don't want to be a burden on anyone..." He finished.

"Well, my door is always open to talk. If you want." The pink haired farmer said with a soft smile. The older male nodded, waving a bit before walking off, leaving the young farmer to her thoughts and crops.

The first snow of the winter was forecast to be soon, the valley would be covered with the freezing white powder. Lilly bundled up and made her way to the ranch, she needed to buy a few things and stock up on feed for her animals for the winter, since she wouldn't be able to grow any or let her animals graze in the cold.

"Come on in Lilly! It's good to see you." Marnie said warmly as Lilly entered the store.

"Hello Marnie. According to what the weather channel says, I'm going to need to stock up on feed." She said with a light laugh. After purchasing everything she needed she was about to leave when Jas caught her eye. "Hello Jas."

"Hello Lilly. Uncle Shane's in the barn. He said... Uh... He said to tell you he wants to show you something." The young girl said. Lilly nodded, setting her purchases down before following Jas through a door. When the pair entered Shane set the chicken he had been holding in his arms down gently.

"Hey, Lilly... so, what do you think?" Shane said with a smile. Lilly approached him and gasped at what she saw.

"Woah! Blue chickens!?" Lilly exclaimed, looking at the oddly colored chickens.

"My special blue hens... I've been raising them in secret for the last few months. I... Well, I won't be living here forever, and I wanted to pass something on to Jas. I've been teaching her how to care for them. I want to feel like I'm not just a leech on the world I want to contribute somehow, even in a small way like this." He said smiling.

"This is amazing Shane... they're beautiful." Lilly said, a soft smile on her face as she looked at the hen closest to her. "They kinda remind me of a tradition back home... what with their blue feathers and all." She added. "Back home, in Flowerbud Village, when you want to propose to the person you love... you're supposed to climb this huge mountain to get a feather from the blue bird that lived at the top. I always loved that tradition."

Lilly had been living on her farm for a year and a few days, spring had rolled around again and she had already planted her spring crops. While she was watering her crops she was approached by Shane, whom she had grown even closer to in the recent days.

"Hey, Lilly! Uh... So I got two tickets to the Tunnelers game tonight. If you want to come, meet me at the bus stop around 5pm." He said, before quickly walking off towards town. Lilly smiled, she wasn't exactly one for sports, but Shane inviting someone to go do something was a rarity she wasn't going to miss out on. She hurried over to the bus stop at five, smiling as she spotted Shane.

"Hey, there you are! I'm glad you decided to come. We should get going..." Shane said, allowing Lilly on the bus first. The two took two seats next to each other, and the bus drove off, soon arriving at the game. The two found their front row seats. About half way through, Shane left to get some more to drink. Lilly zoned out in the time he was gone, having only really been paying attention to him the entire time due to a lack of interest in the sport being played itself. But when Shane returned, a smile spread across her face.

"Hey. I've been meaning to say... Thanks for sticking with me through everything... my anxiety, depression... you know... You've been a really good friend to me." He said with a smile as he stretched. "Anyway... it's your first gridball game, huh? Well, what do you think?" He asked.

"Noisy... It makes me appreciate how peaceful it is back home." Lilly said with a light laugh.

"Oh yeah? I guess that makes sense. Me? I get bored with Pelican Town sometimes. But... I like that you're different. We balance each other out." Shane said smiling. "Gahh!! Look, the Tunnlers are on the attack!" Shane exclaimed in excitement. Then one of the players made a goal. "Goal!!" He exclaimed.

Shane's excitement took hold of him, placing his lips atop Lilly's. Almost all attention was turned to the pair as the kiss cam focused in on them. Shane pulled away quickly. Blushes covered both of their faces.

"Oh! Um... Sorry... I got carried away there. Maybe I had one to many..." He quickly said, clearly flustered. He soon found the palm of Lilly's hand on his cheek as her soft lips made contact with his once more. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the pair melted into the kiss. Lilly couldn't remember anything other than the sensation of her lips against his, pleasantly dazed by it.

"Well... that was definitely a good game. Oh, yeah... and we won, too." Shane said quietly, as the pair sat on the bus. Lilly softly nodded, a small smile on her face, her head resting against Shane's arm. The bus drew to a stop at Pelican Town.

"Looks like we're home now..." Lilly said with a soft sigh. The pair walked off the bus, hand in hand. "You're welcome to come have dinner with me if you would like." Lilly said, her cheeks a light pink, trying to think of any way to spend more time together. "I think I have ingredients for pizza and for pepper poppers if you'd like either of those." She added as they walked towards her house. The pair ended up falling asleep on the couch together after eating while watching a short movie.


End file.
